Heroes to Hunted

A few hours would pass while we set up the campsite.

During that time, we were rushed to be as efficient as possible while racing against the waning Sun. Because of the tight schedule, Mizuno took it upon herself to divvy tasks amongst everyone.

Although I hesitated to leave Sato and Takahashi behind since they were unconscious and defenseless, I couldn't argue with Mizuno. 'She executed a grizzly, after all...'

Mizuno was clearly wary of us, considering how she equally split us between the three of them.

According to Mizuno's instruction, the sisters went with her to survey the area for whatever reason and to pick up some gear she and her group had stashed before rescuing us.

Unsurprisingly, it was a task Hikari adamantly refused. However, when Ayame began leaving, Hikari clung to her sister's back like a child to their mother.

I was to go with Suda to help her spot game for dinner and supplement the rations for her group.

Before I went, I concealed Sato's dagger on myself. I wasn't sure if I could kill someone, but I could at least stab them in the leg if they threatened me.

Despite having a weapon, I didn't think I could fight the other two. But Suda didn't show any extraordinary fighting capabilities yet. So I considered myself lucky to be paired with her. 'I'm fast, so I should be fine in a fight with her, right?'

Finally, Takagi, Kamida, and the two unconscious (Sato and Takahashi) were assigned to Shrug to fortify the den and make where we'd sleep less conspicuous.

Over those hours, we all performed our individual tasks. Like us, the Sun grew increasingly weary from the day. It sank lower and lower down the horizon, painting the once deep blue sky a blend of reddish-orange.

As it fell from the sky, shadows crept across the ground until the forest floor became nearly pitch black, making our tasks exponentially more difficult. Especially the job assigned to Suda and me.

Luckily, we managed to bag more than a few pieces of small game before it got too dark. However, as Suda had griped about, our hunt was limited to primarily squirrels, except for a single fattened rabbit.

'Ugh, I guess I'll have no choice,' I felt a slight degree of nausea at seeing the dead animals, especially knowing they'd be in my stomach soon enough. 'Anything's better than drugged food,' I scowled.

The food was spiked back at that manor; I was sure of it. So there was no way I'd consume food these people gave unless I watched its preparation like a hawk. 'I'll keep my eyes on that food for every second of every minute while it's cooked!'

Speaking of food, we collected more than enough, so we started our trek back to the campsite.

I was traversing a knocked-over pine tree when Suda called out to me. "Hey, I've been meanin' to ask ya! What's yer name?" She slung her bow over her shoulder and carried the game we'd killed for the day.

'Do I answer her? What could she do with my name?' I wasn't sure whether giving that information would endanger me or not. So I weighed the pros and cons when she interrupted me.

"C'mon," she whined, "you know my name! I think it's fair I learn yours too!" she projected her face into a blushed pout.

"Oh, whatever," I sighed. 'Between serial killing knights and colossal bears, I guess it doesn't even matter.'

"Agawa," I said begrudgingly. "My name is Agawa." Though I was hesitant to tell her, there was one thing I was curious about. 'I wonder how she'll react to my name?'

'Will she be surprised? Will she be happy? Angry since I didn't tell them earlier?' There were many possibilities, but Suda chose the one that most shocked me. She didn't have much of a reaction at all.

"That's a great name,' Suda smiled. She then walked beside me in silence until she asked another question. "So...do you miss Japan?" she looked at me, her once sunny eyes filled with longing and regret.

Suda's inquiry shocked me to my core. 'How did she know about Japan? Though the "summoners" knew about us being of another world, even they hadn't named our country specifically!

'Maybe...maybe this girl knows something. Maybe she could tell me what the hell is going on! Maybe she's from home after all!' I was increasingly overwhelmed by the urge to interrogate her.

Sadly, we ran short on time, and the sunlight quickly faded. If we delayed with any more talk, we would have been left alone and lightless in a vast wilderness teeming with God knows what.

Suda must've also agreed since she retreated from her own question. "Nevermind," she laughed it off and focused her attention forward, "I can probably guess anyway."

And so, we began a long sprint back to camp, racing against the encroaching nightfall. Given my speed, I had no worries I could make it back to camp. However, I had doubts about the girl next to me.

My doubts were left dashed, though. Dashed when the girl next to me sprinted straight passed me. Her body emitted a soft green glow as she steadily increased in acceleration.

'I'm not one to get shown up, especially with running!' I smirked. Then, kicking my body into high gear, I challenged her speed.

She turned to me, her ponytail billowing wildly in the wind. "Ohoho! So yer a little fast, huh?"

"More than a little," I snarked back, "I'll outrun you in no time!"

"Heh, we'll see about that," Suda retorted and picked up speed.

Thanks to our competition, we were able to reconvene with the others at camp by the night's full arrival.

***

Finally, after some time of running, we saw the mellow glow of a distant campfire.

While panting heavily, Suda exclaimed, "Check it out, y'all!" and lifted up a twine rope bearing the fruits of our labors. The fruits being several red-hooded squirrels and a large gray rabbit. "We got sum dinner!"

Shrug took a glance and shrugged. He then resumed finalizing our shelter's fortification before heading inside.

Mizuno merely nodded in thanks and proceeded with her walk toward the tree.

Ayame said to Suda through clenched teeth. "Thank you very much," and kept a disgusted smile. I could tell that eating squirrels and a rabbit wasn't a fun thought for her, but she was too polite and hungry to say "no."

Like her sister, Hikari grimaced but uttered a polite "thank you" before following Ayame away.

While wearily grinning, Kamida tried his usual pleasantries. He raised his arm in welcome, displaying a thin sheen of grime and dried mud on his skin. However, his arm soon fell limp, and he disappeared from view, staggering inside the hut.

"Geez, looks like he went through the wringer, huh?" Suda giggled.

"Yeah, I wouldn't say Kamida is exactly made for hard labor," I laughed back.

From his intense sweating and heaving, I would've assumed he was forced into a week's hard labor rather than scrounging for bits of wooden scrap for a few hours.

After that exchange, I focused on Shrug and Kamida's additions to our shelter. I mentioned only them since it seemed like all Takagi did was soak up space near the den's entrance. He sat there, motionless and unresponsive to any stimuli.

Reflecting his posture, his eyes were dead, and his expression deader. 'Nakamura's death really affected him,' I furrowed my brow out of concern.

Despite his stagnant state, one significant change in Takagi's condition occurred. He clutched onto the metallic flask of ointment that the doctor had given Nakamura.

Takagi stared at and clutched the flask tightly. It was as if he'd expected it, like Nakamura, to slip away if he let go. 'Maybe I should leave him alone for now,' I sighed.

Aside from Takagi, Sato and Takahashi remained unconscious.

'So the only two working on it were Shrug and Kamida?' Plus, I doubted Kamida did much to help, so I was sure the effort was Shrug's alone.

Looking at the shelter, I did have one complaint. It appeared totally ramshackle.

The entrance was decorated with branches, twine, and scavenged quillbeast quills.

The quills were placed randomly as stakes, nonsensically even, like they naturally ended up that way. They would deter a critter or two, but I doubted they could stave off an assaulting predator.

Furthermore, the sticks they gathered formed an imperfect wall with only a thin hole to enter and exit. The stacked branches almost resembled the natural state of the roots before they were blasted away.

"Will this be safe?" I asked Suda, pointing at the den. My eyes and lips twitched with anxiety as I imagined such a brittle defense trying to stand up against one of those bears again.

She looked at me with a playful smile and laughed. "'Course it's safe! Shruggie did it, after all!"

I cringed from dashed expectations. "But, it's so..."

"Random? Lemme tell ya somethin' Agawa." Suda paused, grabbed me by the shoulders, and exchanged eye contact. Oddly, her usual cheerful tone became serious and firm. "There's one thing you'll learn here: if you wanna stay alive, you hide. Sure, you can have thick walls, but nothin's safer than not bein' noticed in the first place."

She tilted her head, swinging her ponytail to the side, and smiled. "Ya get me?"